The city fell quickly. Twelve hours it took for the virus to spread, and Little was known on where it came from. All anyone knew was if you contracted it, you became feral. Not an ounce of yourself left in you. Many learned this the hard way by watching loved ones succumb to the illness.

It was everything you would expect from an outbreak. Teenagers would joke about it. How prepared they were for the "zombie apocalypse". But this was unprecedented. Cities were falling one after another. Small towns were essentially wiped out and burned to the ground. The only ones prepared were the right-wing nut jobs and doomsday preppers. They didn't seem so crazy now.

Regardless of how the infection started people only knew two things about the infected persons. Don't get bit. Go for the head. Both of these proved difficult to do as the infected seemed to come at you with full force. Top speeds like big cats chasing its prey.

Anna somehow made it home from her school in the city. She had lost contact with her mother hours ago and needed to find some place safe, or at least safer. By sheer luck she was able to take back roads and allies out of the city on her moped and into her suburban hometown 20 miles away. It was reasons like this one why she stayed so close to home when she moved out.

As she pulled up to her parents, the suburbs were not fairing much better than the urban areas. Gun shots and screams could be heard all over. Even some homes were set ablaze, lord knows how that happened.

As she pulled up to her parents' house, she was relieved to see the home intact, but nervous to see it dark and quiet. She cautiously got off her moped and approached the front door. She reached down for the hidden key under the flowerpot when the door swung open, and a hand reached out and yanked her into the dark home.

"How in the hell did you make it out of the city" her father yelled as he embraced Anna with a mighty bear hug. "Your mother and I have been trying to contact you since this morning" he said as her mom approached her from the dark hallway. Anna almost began to cry. Getting to see her parents in the midst of this nightmare gave her hope everything would be okay.

"I can't imagine what you've seen my dear. But you're safe now." Her mom said. Anna smiled at them but quickly realized something was off. "Where's Jason?" Anna asked. Her parents looked at each other nervously and her mom began to walk away. "We don't know." Her father said. "He went out to his shift this morning and we haven't heard from him since."

Jason was her brother who worked for the local sheriff's department as a deputy. Anna knew he would commit to his duty to protect the people as long as he could. There was no chance he was coming home until the city was safe. Meaning, he probably will never be home.

After some time and a quick meal in the darkness, the three gathered around the TV to find some updates on the outbreak. The last news station standing, Channel 4 news, was giving last minute updates before claiming they were going off the air.

"This will be the last update we have for everyone. The CDC has issued these facts to remember if you come face to face with the infected or the infection. Infected loved ones are feral and show no signs of remembering anything. Do not try to reason with them. They are incredibly fast but can be maimed by breaking or chopping off limbs. The most effective way to eliminate the infected is to aim for the head, similar to the movies. And most importantly, infection spreads through bodily fluids and bites with infected persons typically succumbing to infection between 10 minutes to two hours. Good luck and god bless you all."

As the reporters' final words came out, the TV cut to the emergency broadcast system. "Zombies. I can't believe it. Zombies." Anna's dad said amongst the silence. "She technically said infected, not zombies." Anna replied jokingly. "Don't start with me." her father said in a serious tone. "Turn the TV off, I want to look outside." Anna's mom butted in.

The family had put blankets on the windows of the living room to block out any light from the TV escaping. It seemed to attract the infected, but also the potential of looters. Anna joined her mom at the window. Outside she saw very little besides two wrecked cars, empty houses, and trash littering the street. In the background she could see a faint orange light. The city was in flames. Surely the chaos there was terrifying beyond imagination. Here, the silence of the neighborhood brought its own terror.

"Oh my." Anna's mom began "Mr. Wyatt." she said shakily. Anna looked over to her next-door neighbor's house and saw her middle-aged neighbor at the window. It was clear, Mr. Wyatt was gone. Blood and vomit oozed from his mouth and onto his wife beater tank top. You could see the yellow in his eyes from across the yard, like all his hate and rage went straight to his eyes. Blood or bile oozed from his ears and nose as well. He may have seemed like an overweight and crochety old man, but he actually was one of the kindest men you'd ever meet.

He banged on the window furiously. The infection had taken its toll. "I wish this nightmare would end. Like if I could just wake up and things be back to normal." Anna said hopelessly. Anna's dad comforted his daughter. "I hope his kids weren't home to see him turn, or worse." He trailed off. Anna didn't even think of that. So many families in this neighborhood she knew. What would be left of them if this ever ended?

Suddenly Anna's mom squealed. "Oh my god!" and took off towards the door. Anna's dad chased after her. "Wait where are you going?" He said confused. Anna watched them turn the corner towards the door then turned out back towards the window. Standing in the street was a man in a sheriff's deputy outfit. "Jason!" Anna yelled.

She excitedly perked up and began banging on the window. Jason looked up, the yellow from his eyes clear as day from her vantage point. "No." she said with a chill.

She chased after her parents.

"Jason! Come inside quick!" Her mom yelled. Jason began sprinting towards her. "Close the door mom!" Anna yelled from back in the hall. Anna's dad caught in the middle and confusion froze when he realized it was too late. That was no longer his son.

Jason made a noise, that seemed to come from the pit of his stomach. A low growl followed by a high-pitched screech as he approached Anna's mother. She screamed in a panic once she realized what her son had become.

Jason tackled his mother to the ground and rolled over her into the hallway. Anna's dad sprang into action as Jason scampered back to his feet. His father, without thinking, tackled him back to the ground and tried to pin him with his forearm to Jason's throat. Jason sunk his teeth into his father's forearm.

Anna let out a scream as she watched her brothers' teeth sink into her father's arm and rip away the flesh. The skin stretching and tearing with her father letting out the loudest scream. He punched his son and threw him towards the open door. Anna's mom lept to her feet and, pushed what was the shell of her son outside and slammed the door shut, locking it behind her.

Anna ran to her father's aid and assisted him back to the living room. Her mom joined them, panicking at the sight of her husband's arm. She began crying and ordered Anna to run to the kitchen and grab some towels.

Anna followed her instructions and sprinted to the kitchen. As she grabbed the towels she took note of the clock on the oven. 9:06 PM. She hustled back to the living room and gave her mom the towels. Her dad began to curse, over both the pain and the stupidity of handling that situation. "I'm an idiot. So stupid I should've just pinned him or thrown him into the wall or something." He looked at his wife. "What do we do she said?"

"Ten minutes." Anna muttered. "What?" Anna's mom said as she looked at her with tears in her eyes. Anna closed her eyes and looked at the ground. She felt a pit in her stomach from what she was about to say. "We have ten minutes until he turns mom." Anna's mom looked away. "Stop." She cried. "Stop talking." She began sobbing.

Anna's dad sat up from the couch. "She's right." He said. "Ten Minutes to two hours." Anna's mom shot up, "Two hours!" she yelled. "That's plenty of time to go get help." Anna's dad shook his head. "From where? Look outside, the world is burning!" He exclaimed as he held back tears.

In 22 years, Anna had never seen her dad cry. And now with minutes to spare, this image would be burned into her brain.

"You know what you must do." He said. Things went silent when all of a sudden banging on the door began. Jason had come back, like reminding them he was there. "I can't take this." Anna's mom said as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. Taking the towel with her.

"She never was one to deal with drama well." said Anna's dad. She moved towards the couch and sat down with next to him handing him another towel. She reached out to hold the towel to stop the bleeding when he pulled away. "No. I can't risk infecting you. It spreads through bodily fluids. Don't touch it." The two sat in silence for a while. Both processing what was happening.

Anna scooted back on the couch. "Anna, listen to me. You don't have much time. But you cannot risk me turning and attacking either of you. I can already feel a fever setting. If I turn, it will be difficult for either you or your mother to take me down." He let out a cough after finishing his sentance.

Anna knew he was right. Her father stood at 6'2 and played fullback in high school. He was by no means a small man, while Anna and her mother both stood at around 5'5. Anna began to tear up. Her father had always been her best friend. She loved both her parents very much, but the bond she had with her dad was something special.

"Promise me to end it before I'm too far gone." He said. Anna looked down again. "Anna. Please. I can't hurt either of you." Anna reluctantly shook her head. They sat in silence again for what felt like eternity.

Anna looked at the living room clock. 9:18. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "I- I- I can feel myself getting tired. I think it's coming." Anna let out a small cry. She wasn't ready. But she made a promise. "The gun is in the hallway closet." he said weakly. "Go get your mother. I want to say goodbye." Anna grabbed her dad's unbloodied hand. "I love you dad." She said as she got up and headed for the closet.

She swung the door open and reached for the shoebox on the top shelf. She never told her parents but she always knew where the gun was, for when she stayed at home alone as a teen. She grabbed the .38 special and checked the cylinder to make sure it was loaded. All 6 chambers were full.

She stepped towards the kitchen. It was dark in there, but she could hear the sink running. Mom must've come in here to calm down and splash water on her face. Yet, her mother was no where to be found. "Mom?" Anna said quietly. She walked to the sink and turned off the faucet. "Mom it's time. I'm sorry but dad wants-" she choked as she tried to hold back tears. "He wants to see you one more time."

She looked around in the drawer for a flashlight. Her eyes were not seemingly adjusting to the dark. Once she found it, she flicked it on, and looked into the sink. There she saw what looked like remnants of blood washed off in the sink.

Anna was confused. She doesn't recall her mom getting bit. At least she never showed signs of it. Then she turned around and looked on the kitchen island. A blood-soaked towel sat on the tabletop. The towel used to nurse her dads' wounds.

Anna went cold. She looked at the clock. 9:22. Sixteen minutes.

Frozen in fear she slowly looked up towards the corner of the kitchen, behind the table. There her mom stood, barely moving. Faint sounds, like she was still crying. "Mom." Anna called out shakily.

Anna's mom looked up. Eyes yellow. She didn't move at first. She didn't even make a sound. She just stared at Anna with those menacing, horrible yellow eyes. Anna raised the pistol with tears in her eyes. "Mom. Please say something." She took aim. Her mother began to charge. Anna closed her eyes and took the shot.

When she opened her eyes, her mom was nowhere to be seen. Anna cautiously moved around the kitchen island. There her mother was on the ground, silent but twitching. She didn't dare approach the body of what was her mother. She took aim for the final shot.

Suddenly her infected mother sprang back to life and lunged at Anna. Anna was so startled she missed her shot and took off from the kitchen. As she ran down the hallway her mom was chasing her, like a feral dog who hadn't eaten in weeks.

Anna ran towards the door when she heard Jason banging on it once again. His interest in his family still peaked as he slammed on it over and over.

Anna put her back to the wall and with no choice left took aim. Her mother refused to stand still as she quickly approached her. Anna held her breath and quickly took the shot.

The shot was so loud it left a ringing in her ears. She moved the flashlight on her mother and saw her on the ground, still moving and crawling towards Anna. She had hit her in the leg.

Slowly and menacingly, she crawled towards Anna. The fear and urgency had left her body though as she knew her mom wasn't capable of physically overpowering her. With one last look into those yellow eyes, she took aim "I Love you mom." She said as she squeezed the trigger.

At this point Anna was deaf, and almost in shock. She slid down against the wall and stared at her mom's dead corpse. She wanted to lay there and cry. Just let Jason through that door and tear her apart. But she had made a promise.

She wiped her eyes, stood up, and walked to her living room.

There her father was asleep. There wasn't much time. She knew she had two bullets left. But in this case, she wouldn't miss. Her dad lay motionless. She knew he was gone. With a deep breath and no words, she took aim to fulfill her promise.

Anna woke up. She looked at the clock in her living room. 6:10 AM. She looked over to the couch with hope it was all a bad dream. But there was her fathers corpse, covered by the same blanket they used to use when they watched movies when she was a kid.

She had slept on the floor by the window. The remote on the coffee table in front of her. Not sure what to do she turned on the TV. To no surprise, the emergency broadcast was still on. She contemplated in silence what to do next. She then heard a knock on the door.

Jason, she thought. The thought of him out there as one of those things hurt her soul. She knew what she needed to do.

She walked over to the door.

She stared through the peep hole. Ready to come eye to eye with those awful yellow eyes. But nothing was there. She cautiously unlocked to door and slowly opened it.

When nothing happened, she swung it open all the way. She took one cautious step onto the porch. The sun was coming up over the houses across the street. A new day in the global nightmare.

She looked around and saw Jason. Standing in the grass of the front yard next to her moped. He was facing away from her, she approached him quietly to make this easy as possible. A few steps behind him she paused and took aim.

Tears began to well up in her eyes. The sudden urge to not do it arose in her, but she knew she couldn't let him roam around like this. One more bullet for the last member of her family.

She suddenly heard a crash behind her followed by a scream of agony.

Anna spun around quickly to see Mr. Wyatt. He had ran into his garbage cans outside and was screaming and hollering hysterics. "What have I done? Oh my god what did I do!".

Anna froze in confusion and made direct eye contact with Mr. Wyatt. His eyes had seem to look... normal. "Anna!" He yelled. "I- I- I don't know what happened. They're torn apart I couldn't stop." He said sobbing. He dropped to his knees. "My children!"

Anna began to shake and feel a pit in her stomach, when she felt someone gently grab her shoulder. "Anna?" She heard softly.

Jason stared her dead in the eyes. His baby blues seemed to have returned. "I don't know what happened." He said. "One minute I was defending families at the station. How did I get here?" Anna began to back away in total shock. "Anna, wait where are you going. Where's mom and dad?"

Anna turned and sprinted inside, Jason stumbling after her. "Anna, wait I'm so dizzy and feel nauseous."

Her mother's lifeless body remained on the floor. "No." She whispered. She ran to her fathers body in the living room. "No, no, no, no." She cried over and over.

Suddenly the TV switched on. "BREAKING NEWS LIVE FROM CHANNEL 4" she staired at the TV*. "Your most recent update on the virus,*" the reporter said. "The virus has been discovered to be temporary. We repeat the virus is TEMPORARY. Infected persons show signs of returning to normal within 12 - 24 hours of infection." Anna dropped to her knees. "We do not advise anyone to take previous advice of exterminating any infected peoples. Instead, please do your best to contain and quarantine until the virus goes aw-" Anna cut off the TV.

She sat there horrified. She knew what she had done. She bent over and vomited all over the floor.

"Anna." she heard from behind her. "What did we do?" Jason asked.

Anna felt the weight of the .38 in her hand. She knew she had one round left. "Anna no!" Jason yelled as she pointed it at her temple.

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